The Calico Thread

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Mickey is a man that listens to his own particualar view of the world around him.
 
Well this year getting to Calico is going to be interesting. I have a trailer to haul my 40 but I can't use my wife's Yukon to tow it. She and her friends are going on a road trip to wine country and her Yukon is big enough to hold her and 3 of her friends plus all the damn luggage 4 women need to take with them on a 2 night trip.

That leaves me to haul my rig to Calico with my FJ Cruiser. I spent about 3 hours going through all the posts on the FJ Cruiser forum and even found a few guys that used trailers for their 40s behind their FJC. They all said the FJC tows fantastic and the brakes are up to the weight. They even stated they braked better than a few full sized trucks. So I feel a bit better about using the FJC after 9 or 10 real world experiences.

My only issue I had with towing with the Yukon was braking.... it sucks. When meeting Dustin at his cabin to go up to Bald, I always slide down and through his driveway to stop. If someone or something was in front of me and I had to stop or forgot to turn, I would go through his garage or over whatever might be in the way. It is more of a controlled glide down his driveway. But the Yukon has the older style Chevy disk/drum brake set up. The FJC is disk/disk and minus about 1,500 lbs.

The only issue I am concerned about is going up the big grade into Calico and coming back down it. It should be an adventure this year just getting there. It is all going to be about proper placement of the 40 on the trailer for the best possible balance of weight front to rear.
 
LOOK in your vehicle owners manuel. It wil have all the weight and and towing instructions listed.Also check the max weight listed in your trailer hitch, It will be stamped.
 
Wow, you have a lot of guts to pull your 40 with an FJ Cruiser. I pulled my 4Runner with my Explorer to Fresno once and I hated it. The power wasn't the problem, it was the stopping and the tongue weight. Your tranny is going to hate life going over Tehachapi for sure.
 
Dan does that trailer have trailer brakes? That trailer is heavy

I dont think the issue is the drivetrain. I think the fjcruiser is ok there. the disks are nice too.

would be nice if you could flat tow your 40

we could always tow your 40 with my lexus

Be firm with Beth. try this..."baby i love you so much but im takin that Taho and you are taking my fjcruiser and thats all there is too it. Now be a good wife and go fetch me a cool beverage and make me a sandwhich" Do it now Dan and report back.
 
Just drive the 40 and take a few pit stops, life is too short to take that thing on a trailer with no BRAKES! even if you have a 3/4 ton, you have to be movin' @ 6500lbs how bout when you need to come down the Tehachapi grade. NO question Safefty first Kernal Klink!
 
FJ Cruiser is rated to tow 5K pounds...so would be pushing it.

Hey Dusty...are you saying Dan needs to talk to the wife the way you talk to him in the tent? lol:princess:
 
FJ Cruiser towing capacity is 5,000 lbs. Your Cruiser probably weighs close to that alone without the trailer which probably weighs 1500-2000lbs.
 
eknuik said:
Just drive the 40 and take a few pit stops, life is too short to take that thing on a trailer with no BRAKES! even if you have a 3/4 ton, you have to be movin' @ 6500lbs how bout when you need to come down the Tehachapi grade. NO question Safefty first Kernal Klink!
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Toyrunner87 said:
FJ Cruiser is rated to tow 5K pounds...so would be pushing it.

Hey Dusty...are you saying Dan needs to talk to the wife the way you talk to him in the tent? lol:princess:
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question is what is safer-towing with the fjcruiser or just driving the fj40 empty.

i have towed my 80 behind my 3/4T dodge over Tehachapi at leaste 10 times and it so so stable-trailer brakes are perfectly tuned and i have factory jake brake.

if dan positions his 40 right on the trailer and if dans trailer has adjustable trailer brakes and he stays slow comin down (he will be slow going up anyway) i suspect he will be fine. One thing Dan can do is drive.

And he is welcome by my fire anytime. :)

but stay the hell away from my tent.
 
Thanks for the complement on driving skills Dustin.

I will be right at my towing limit. If I have to, I can throw gear on Dustin's trailer and my buddy Carl's trailer (he was on the snow run) to lesson my weight. If my 40 and the FJC are empty, I should be OK and I'll need to allow for stopping distances.

I have been towing rigs since I was 16. I started out with a 35' motor home towing a 30' boat/trailer loaded down with enough gear to last 3 months for our stay in Canada. You should have seen the looks I got from cars and big rigs when they were passing me. Seeing a kid that young, trucking down the road, was not something they saw very often. Crossing Shasta on I-5 was always a challenge but very similar to what we have to cross getting to Calico, just not as long.

The only thing that will keep me from going is finances... Everything seems to cost more and it seems I have to buy more......... It is tight right now to say the least and my son's tuition just went up another 20% a month. It cost more for him to go to private school than it does to send the kid to college. That is not an exaggeration! Anyone ever ask why two public educators send their kid to private school? Ask me sometime….


Oh and about the tent situation, I am the "top" in all relationships.....
 
Calico kid sigthing?

Danimal an word from the kid? Is he going to try and make the trip?
 
H2OBOSS said:
Danimal an word from the kid? Is he going to try and make the trip?
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I doubt it. I heard he is good friends with Marks Offroad and that guy seems to have an issue with our club over the raffle turd, I mean truck.:lol: I will try to research different routes.
 
Bealte Jucie!!!

You have to be kidding me, MArk won't go to Calico becasue of all of this? PM Sent
 
Oh and about the tent situation, I am the "top" in all relationships.....

Reverse cowgirl?:whoops:
 
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